8 Jan 2013

2012

2012 began in the wild fisherman’s village of Whitby, contemplating the year ahead on long coastal walks, with the stormy sea blowing in the wind and in the historical White Horse and Griffin, where sailers from the past rested before their next adventures.

The rest of the Winter was spent training, snow shoveling, lots of ski-touring and free-riding on clouds of deep white dust.

A short trip to Fontainebleau prepared me for the competition season. In Fontainebleau we climbed some classics and some more classics, dreamt about climbing some other classics and so on...it was an awesome trip. However, the competition season started off slow for me. I felt physically prepared but was unable to find the right mental zone required in order to be able to compete well. I had a few lonely training sessions on my fingerboard and at the bouldering wall where I was able to find the balance again. At the following round of the Bouldering World Cup in Innsbruck I finished 6th in the final. I drove home knowing that the rest of my year would be a good one. I finished 6th at the final round of the Bouldering World Cup in Munich and it was a satisfying feeling turning my competition season into a good one.

The year has been full of different rock projects and with the totally unexpected finding of a new climbing area in Ötztal I was able to pick, bolt, clean and climb some new lines. Some major highlights of the year include making the first ascents of some older projects in Ötztal; ‘Ganesha’ and ‘Don Pedro’.  Another major highlight was climbing the classic ‘Wall Street’ in Frankenjura with my Dad and Sabby, it was just an awesome weekend desperately trying to stay warm during a fierce cold front.

The year finished free-riding through Polles Tal in Ötztal with some good friends and, as the winter sun set, I found myself in a new setting contemplating the new year ahead. 

Let’s see what 2013 brings!